Category Archives: chicanery

“‘Find the fraud’: Trump pressured a Georgia elections investigator in a separate call legal experts say could amount to obstruction”

January 9, 2021, 5:29 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

Another Amy Gardner exclusive for WaPo: President Trump urged Georgia’s lead elections investigator to “find the fraud” in a lengthy December phone call, saying the official would be a “national hero,” according to an individual familiar with the call who… Continue reading

“Trump Administration Politicized Some Intelligence on Foreign Election Influence, Report Finds”

January 8, 2021, 3:00 pmchicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The Trump administration politicized the intelligence around foreign election interference in 2020, resulting in significant errors in its reports last year to Congress and the public, a report by the intelligence community ombudsman concluded.Barry A. Zulauf, the analytic ombudsman… Continue reading

“Pence Said to Have Told Trump He Lacks Power to Change Election Result”

January 5, 2021, 8:04 pmchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: Vice President Mike Pence told President Trump on Tuesday that he did not believe he had the power to block congressional certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in the presidential election despite Mr. Trump’s baseless insistence that he… Continue reading

Ted Cruz Will Object to Arizona Electors So He Can Get to Speak First When Senate Debates Objections Wednesday. Really Despicable Conduct from Someone Who Knows Better

January 5, 2021, 1:21 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

WaPo. Unlike Trump, Cruz knows better. He’s smart. This is just evil.

“Trump’s call is still a crime, even if he believes his own fraud fantasies”

January 5, 2021, 12:59 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Trevor Potter and Mark Gaber in WaPo: Although a criminal conviction does require proof of intent — proof Trump knew he was asking for nonexistent votes to be counted in his favor — a person cannot avoid criminal liability… Continue reading

“Pence’s Choice: Side With the Constitution or His Boss”

January 4, 2021, 5:14 pmchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman in the NYT: As president of the Senate, Mr. Pence is expected to preside over the pro forma certification of the Electoral College vote count in front of a joint session of Congress. It… Continue reading

“Donald Trump Should Be Prosecuted for His Shakedown of Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger”

January 4, 2021, 8:59 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: President Donald Trump likely broke both federal and state law in a Saturday phone call during which he encouraged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn… Continue reading

“We Can’t Let Our Elections Be This Vulnerable Again”

January 4, 2021, 8:57 amchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I have written this piece for The Atlantic. It begins: The 2020 election and its aftermath have laid bare an unhappy truth: Many of the familiar procedures for translating the people’s will into the choice of a president depend on… Continue reading

“MAGA marchers plot final D.C. stand on Jan. 6”

January 4, 2021, 8:48 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Politico: Timed to the day when Congress will formally certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win, the MAGA crowd is trying to pressure Vice President Mike Pence and Republican lawmakers to refuse to seat Biden over fabricated voter-fraud claims. It’s a doomed… Continue reading

“POLITICO Playbook: The backstory of Trump’s Georgia call”

January 4, 2021, 6:51 amchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Marc Caputo: It started on Saturday when Trump and his team reached out to talk to Raffensperger, who, according to an adviser, felt he would be unethically pressured by the president. Raffensperger had been here before: In November he accused… Continue reading

“‘I just want to find 11,780 votes’: In extraordinary hour-long call, Trump pressures Georgia secretary of state to recalculate the vote in his favor”

January 3, 2021, 8:43 pmchicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Amy Gardner exclusive for WaPo: President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse… Continue reading

Josh Douglas: “The real reason you need to worry about Hawley’s objection to Biden victory”

December 31, 2020, 7:16 amchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Josh Douglas for CNN Opinion: Don’t be too nervous about Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s announcement that he will object to the certification of Joe Biden as President when Congress meets on Jan. 6. His ploy won’t stop Biden from taking… Continue reading

Senator Hawley, Positioning Himself for 2024, Will Join in House Objections to Electoral College Votes

December 30, 2020, 8:04 amchicanery, electoral college, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

I don’t expect this to make a difference in the outcome, but rather only to extend the day as the chambers of Congress consider objections.

“How Congress and coronavirus could quash Trump’s Electoral College gambit”

December 30, 2020, 6:56 amchicanery, electoral collegeRick Hasen

Very helpful Politico article on the Jan. 6 state of play: President Donald Trump’s last-gasp bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat appears doomed on Jan. 6, when Congress is set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.But the byzantine process… Continue reading